Lee wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Lake Murray

Boater Ben Lee (left) of Lexington, S.C., earned $5,014 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart BFL South Carolina Division event on Lake Murray. Dean Talbert of Albemarle, N.C., bested 145 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,403 as the co-angler winner. Anglers: Dean Talbert, Ben Lee.

March 18, 2006 • MLF • Archives

PROSPERITY, S.C. – Boater Ben Lee of Lexington, S.C., earned $5,014 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division event on Lake Murray. The tournament was the second of five regular-season South Carolina Division events and featured 153 boaters vying for the win, which earned Lee 200 points in the Boater Division.

Lee’s winning catch of five bass weighed 24 pounds, 2 ounces. He caught them fishing points with a jig.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Patrick Tierney of Denver, N.C. (five bass, 19 pounds, 13 ounces, $2,507); Gregory Royse of Camden, S.C. (five bass, 19 pounds, 2 ounces, $1,670); Robert Walser of Lexington, N.C. (five bass, 18 pounds, $1,170) and Andy Owens of Camden, S.C. (five bass, 17 pounds, 10 ounces, $1,003).

Beau Dixon of Leesville, S.C., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $765 for an 8-pound, 2-ounce bass he caught on a jig.

Tierney earned an additional $500 as winner of the Ranger Cup award.

Dean Talbert of Albemarle, N.C., bested 145 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,403 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces that he caught while fishing a Carolina-rigged lizard, as well as a jig and a worm.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Johnny Crislip of Mt. Pleasant, S.C. (five bass, 14 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,003); James Pendleton of Vale, N.C., (five bass, 14 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,003) Jim Wagers of Blackstock, S.C., (five bass, 14 pounds, 5 ounces, $561) and Jimmy Drumm of Mt. Holly, N.C. (five bass, 11 pounds, 14 ounces, $481).

James Wilkerson of Prosperity, S.C., earned $362 as the co-angler big-bass award winner, thanks to an 8-pound, 9-ounce bass.

South Carolina Division anglers will next visit Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C., April 8 for their third regular-season event, followed by an event on Lake Wateree in Camden, S.C., May 13. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on Lake Wylie in Lake Wylie, S.C., Sept. 30-31. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse FLWOutdoors.com.

Following the regular season, the South Carolina Division boater with the most points who advances farthest in the Wal-Mart BFL All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances farthest will earn $5,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion in the Co-angler Division.

Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on. The top 40 South Carolina Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kerr Lake Regional Championship near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 12-14 where they will compete against Gator, Savannah River and Shenandoah division anglers for one of six slots in the 2007 All-American. With a total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.

The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired, with boaters supplying the boat and fishing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing from the back deck against other co-anglers.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, as well as the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.